A Tamer’s Story: I’ll Never Leave You
by Dragon of Light
Summary: Takato and Juri's story, the first in my A Tamer's Story series. Juri didn’t lead an easy childhood compared to Takato. What motivated her to do what she did that changed the lives of two families in one night?
1. To Young to Understand?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Seriously, if I did, think of how I would've made the series end... heh heh heh.

This is the first "book" in my saga _A Tamer's Story_. For more information about the point of this book in relation to the rest refer to my entry _A Tamer's Story: Introduction_, which can be found here. Thanks for reading, please review. I'll do my best to get the following chapters up soon.

**__**

A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

**__**

Chapter 1: To Young to Understand?

Juri Katou was only four-years-old when her mother passed away.

Her mother, Arashi, had been suffering for the past number of years from a brain tumor. They found out about the tumor shortly before Juri had been born, due to her terrible headaches, but weren't able to do anything about it until after Juri was born, incase something would happen to their, then unborn, child.

Three months later Juri was born, and Arashi had a surgery to remove the tumor a month later. They thought they had beat it. A year later though, the doctors found out that they didn't get all of it, but they didn't even try to remove the rest due to the fact it was on her brain stem, and they didn't want to take the chance that they'd accidentally kill her; nor did Arashi want it done. She'd been in the hospital for the last week to monitor the tumor's growth.

"I want to show mommy the picture I drew." Juri said skipping along side her father as they went inside the hospital.

"Okay. Just a moment sweetheart. I have to tell the nurse we're here." Jigo, Juri's father said as he went to the nurse's station. "We're here to see Arashi Katou, I'm her husband and I brought our daughter."

The nurse wrote something down.

"Do you know the room number?"

"Yes."

"Then go on up."

So Jigo and Juri rode the elevator to the floor Arashi was on.

As they were walking down the hall to the room, a doctor stopped Jigo to talk with him. Juri just continued on toward the room.

"Mr. Katou, I was just in to see your wife. She'd dead." The doctor said.

"What? When?"

"Around One o'clock."

It had been four painful years, but at last her pain was over. That was the only thing Jigo could think of for a moment. He looked up to see his daughter going into his dead wife's room.

"Mommy! Get up. I want to show you my picture.!" The four-year-old said as she walked over to the bed on which her mother lay.

"Juri, honey. Mommy's not going to wake up." Jigo said, entering the room.

"Mommy." She said touching her mother's arm. It was so cold. "M-mommy? Are you okay?" She asked.

Juri shook her mother's arm. When her mother didn't wake up, she started crying.

Jigo fell to his knees and held the crying girl close to him.

"Why isn't she waking up, Daddy? Why?"

"Mommy's gone to a better place."

"But she's right here."

"You know she wasn't well. Mommy's sprit went to heaven."

"When will it come back?"

"It won't. her spirit is gone forever, but she lives in our hearts."

"But I want mommy to wake up."

"I know you do, but she won't."

Jigo had started dating Satsuki about four months after Arashi's death. Juri hated her.

"Juri, sweetie." Jigo called to the girl who was playing with the dog puppet her mother had made her before she died.

"What is it daddy?" She asked as she came down the stairs with the puppet still on her hand. 

"Who's she?" Juri had her puppet ask her father.

"She's adorable Jigo!" Satsuki cooed.

Jigo bent down to his daughter's level.

"This is daddy's girlfriend, Satsuki. Say hi to her."

"Hi Juri." The woman said bending down as well.

Juri looked at the woman and stared her down.

"No." The soon-to-be-five-year-old said not breaking eye contact.

"Juri! Say hello." Jigo hissed.

"No." The puppet, whom she named Inu, echoed her earlier answer.

"See. Inu doesn't like her either." She said patting the puppet.

"She doesn't have to, Jigo." Satsuki said planting a kiss on his cheek.

"NO!!!" The little girl screamed and charged at the woman.

Satsuki stepped back. Jigo grabbed her and lifted her off the floor.

"Juri! Behave!"

"No! I hate her! I want mommy back!"

"We've been through this. Mommy's not coming back. I was waiting to tell you sweetie, but Satsuki is going to be your new mommy." Jigo said holding her.

"No! She's not my mommy!" Juri said.

Against Juri's wishes, Jigo and Satsuki were married only a couple months after she turned five.

Everyday Juri would sit in her room and cry, but whenever her step-mother, Satsuki, would enter being friendly to her, Juri would just look at her with hate filled eyes and start screaming bloody murder. Not only was she hating her, but as the years went by, she pinned all the bad things that happened to her on her step-mother.

Soon Juri started going to school, with Inu of course, but she would only let her father take her. At school she was a happy little girl who loved to play, a perfect angel. But when she was home she would be like a demon-child, always screaming.

"Juri, guess what sweetie. Soon you'll have a little brother." Jigo said one day about three months after the two of them were married.

Satsuki stood nearby hoping that maybe this would be the thing that drew the two of them closer.

The five-year-old was confused.

"A brother?"

"Yeah. Your mommy's going to have a baby." 

"But mommy is dead." She said almost too emotionlessly.

"Not that mommy. Your new mommy."

"I have no mommy. My mommy is dead." Juri said and walked into her room.

Jigo followed her and shut the door behind him.

"Juri. Quit this. Satsuki is your mother now. Stop hating her. She's done nothing wrong to you, she's very nice. Why are you so mean to her." He said angrily grabbing her wrist.

"She took my mommy away."

"No she didn't mommy was-"

"She took her away. I will never let her take my mommy's place!"

"Sweetie, Satsuki's not taking her place."

"Then why is she here?"

"Because I love her. I love you both. Don't I show that?"

Juri said nothing and looked away from her father's eyes.

Juri still hated her step-mother, especially since she was having a baby.

"Do you want to feel the baby move?" Satsuki asked Juri, as she had many times since the baby's movements were able to be felt by other people.

Cautiously she laid her hand lightly on her step-mother's bulging stomach. She felt the movement of the baby as it moved.

"Did you feel that? That's your brother kicking."

She removed her hand and held it close to her chest as though it had been burned by something hot.

__

The baby is just a replacement for me. Then they'll get rid of me just like my mommy. I wish she would just die. I'd rather have no mommy than have her_ as my mother. I don't want a little brother. I want it to be just me and daddy._ Juri thought to herself whenever she saw her step-mother's swelling stomach after that. 

She never told anyone about these dark thoughts in her head. No one would even guess she thought such dark thoughts due to her happy nature. If they ever looked at her drawings though they might think of her as a very tormented child. The pictures were mostly of stick-people: a man, a little girl and a woman angel standing on top of a grave of a buried woman and a baby. She drew the pictures only when she was alone. If anyone was around she'd only draw the angel and the girl saying that it was her and her mother.

Three months after that incident Masahiko, her baby half-brother, was born. She could tolerate the baby, in fact she got along with him wonderfully, but she still hated Satsuki with a passion most fearsome!

About five years later she became a Tamer, then lost the privilege when Beelzemon took him away from her. Leomon had helped her get over her depression, and now everything went tumbling backwards to how it was when she was five. That's why the D-Reaper had chosen her. Her mental and emotional defenses were gone, and she was filled with hate.

It took her a long time to get over the depression again after she'd been freed from the D-Reaper's mind games and prison, but her best friend, Takato helped her through it, which is how they became boyfriend and girlfriend.

It could be said that it is because she loved that boy, her secret crush for so many years, that fifteen-year-old Juri was going to go through the deed she was about to do...

**__**

To be continued...

In The Next Chapter:  
Takato's childhood up until the incident which could change both his and Juri's lives forever...


	2. The Little Artist

**__**

A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

Chapter 2: The Little Artist

Takato was, in the eyes of his parents, Mei and Takehiro, he was a miracle. They had tried for five years to have a child. They were about to give up, when Mei became pregnant with Takato. They named him Takato after his paternal grandfather.

All of his relatives thought he'd achieve great things since he was a gift from heaven to his parents, and so great expectations were placed upon him at a young age. His mother would never let him do any sports when he started going to school, she pushed him to try music lessons instead.

"How would you like to try to play the cello?" Mei asked the five-year-old one day.

"I'll just fail at it like I did the trombone, bass, piano, and trumpet." He said not looking up from the drawing he was working on.

"Well if you give up before you even try how do yo expect to do well in anything you want to do?"

The boy shrugged and picked up a green crayon.

"Give me that and listen to me!" She said pulling the paper away from him.

She looked at the picture.

"Hey! Give it back! It's for my friend Juri."

"You drew this all by yourself?" She said looking at the picture of a lion he'd drawn

"Uh-huh. Can I have it back now?"

"Sure." She said handing it back to him.

She stood watching as he got lost in coloring his picture. She then went to find her husband, Takehiro.

"You have to see the picture he drew. It is very well done! He's a natural talent."

She lead him into the living room where she'd left Takato, but he was gone.

"Takato! Takato! Where are you?" Mei called, but he didn't answer.

They searched all over the house, but couldn't find him. Mei stayed home while Takehiro started looking outside.

A man came in the bakery with a little girl and Takato in hand.

"Takato!" Mei cried running out from behind the counter and hugging him. "Where were you?"

"I was giving Juri my picture." He said, not understanding his mother's tears.

"Why didn't you ask me or your father to take you over there with you?"

"I don't know." The boy said.

"Has Takato come back yet? Oh! Takato!" Takehiro said seeing his son.

"I figured that you might be worried about him. I figured so because he came by himself." The man holding the girl's hand said.

"And you are?" Takato's father asked.

"Gigo Katou. Gigo. Juri's father."

"I'm Takato's mother, Mei. So this is Juri." Mei said seeing the shy little girl her son's age. "Is she always this shy?"

"No. At home she's a wild little thing." Gigo laughed.

"She's my friend from school." Takato said.

"I see. She's a pretty little girl." She said. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

"No, we'd better not. Maybe some other time."

"Okay. Thanks for bringing him home."

"No problem." Gigo smiled and lead Juri out of the store. They hadn't gotten far when he walked back in. "Before I go home I'd better get some bread. We'd just run out at home." He said and bought some. 

"Bye." Juri said as her and her father left the shop.

"Bye!" Takato responded.

While that was the only time Takato ever got in trouble by leaving home without telling his parents, but it wasn't the last time he got in trouble.

It was a few years later, when he was eight, that his teacher called Takato's mother in to school to talk.

"Takato's a good kid..." The teacher started.

"So, what's wrong that you called me here?" Mei asked

"He's a good kid, but I don't think he's putting enough effort into his work."

"I've seen his report cards. He's getting good grades."

"On every thing he turns in there are drawings all over them. And I'd hardly consider C's to be good grades, especially if he was _my_ son. That is if I even _had_, or rather wantedkids." The teacher said snottily.

"Well, Takato's getting B-'s which are not the same things as C's! The only reason he draws so much is because he's talented!"

"If he doesn't stop it, I'm going to flunk him."

"Just because he draws?!"

"It's encouraging the other children to not listen."

"Did you ever ask him to stop?"

"I've written notes on his papers, and he just ignores them."

"Kids don't look at their papers when they get them back. You have to verbally tell him."

"It's not like he'll listen. He's just a troublemaker."

"I'll show you that you're wrong." Mei said and stood up.

"Hey! I'm not done!"

"Well I am." she said then left

After that Takato didn't draw on his homework, he drew in a notebook that his mother gave him.

It was about that year that Takato started growing a crush on his longtime friend Juri. Hirokazu and Kenta were his _best _friends, but Juri was growing to be something more to him. Maybe it was that crush that he developed which convinced him to tell her about Guilmon two years later.

After admitting his feelings to Juri, even if it wasn't her, he felt like he and Juri belonged together. Admittedly though, after the D-Reaper incident, it wasn't a good time to ask her out, so Takato took it on himself to help her deal with loosing her partner, as well as getting over the emotional trauma of being the D-Reaper's prisoner.

It wasn't until they were thirteen that Takato finally asked Juri out....and much to his surprise, she said yes!

They'd been going out for two years, when Takato got an odd phone call from Juri.

"Takato, I'm scared to be alone with this storm going on outside, would you come over and stay with me?" Was all Juri had asked over the phone that night.

Takato, who had just turned sixteen, made the decision to go over there and stay with her...

**__**

To be continued...

What is waiting for him at Juri's house? What happens that could change the lives of two teenagers? What are they going to do? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the next chapters of _A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You_


	3. Please, Stay With Me

**__**

A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

Chapter 3: Please, Stay With Me

It was a Friday night few weeks before Juri's sixteenth birthday and she was at home alone. Her parents had gone out to dinner and her brother, Masahiko, was spending the night at his friend's house.

"I'm so bored!" Juri sighed as she flipped through the TV channels. 

A bright light flashed, then the TV, along with the lights suddenly turned off. A deep roar of thunder sounded, and she looked out of the window.

"Oh, great. A storm." She said she whispered to herself.

Even though she was almost sixteen, she was still afraid of bad thunderstorms like this, especially when she was alone.

The light in the hallway flickered back on. She made a move to turn the TV back on to drown out the sounds of the storm, but it, as well as the rest of the lights in the room, refused to turn back on.

"The storm must have blown the fuse for this room." She said nervously.

She ran down to the kitchen and dialed the Matsuda number as another roll of thunder sounded.

"Matsuda residence." Stated a relatively deep, male voice on the other end of the phone line.

"Takato, I'm scared to be alone with this storm going on outside, would you come over and stay with me?" She asked recognizing the voice as Takato's.

"I guess I could Juri."

"Thanks Takato. I'm so glad you're always there for me." Juri said and hung up.

Takato smiled. Juri always seemed so much happier at the end of their conversations than at the start of them.

Takato grabbed his jacket from the chair he'd thrown it on when he'd come home from school four hours earlier. He popped his head into the shop where his mom was cashiering.

"Hey mom," He said giving his mom a small peck on the cheek. "I'm going to Juri's for a while. The storm, ya know."

"I kinda figured you might be going over there. Be careful on your way over there, and don't forget your umbrella."

"You mean I can't take the car?!"

"You've only just turned sixteen. It's not that I don't trust you, I don't trust those other wackos out there. Now get going." Mei stated.

"Alright. You can't keep me from the car forever though." Takato joked.

"That boy of yours is growing up to be a fine young man." An elderly woman said as she placed an order on the counter to be rung up.

"I know." Mei said as she watched Takato pass the storefront. "I'm just afraid that he's growing up too quickly."

She rung up the items on the counter and bagged them.

"Every parent fears that." The old woman smiled as she gathered up the bag of pastries and bread she'd just paid for. "Even when your children are having children of their own, time just passes so quickly. Speaking of which my son and his wife are expecting their second child soon. That one will be my sixth grandchild."

"I'm so happy for you." Mei said.

"Thank you. I'll see you next week." The old woman smiled as she left.

Mei waved after the woman as she exited the shop.

Before Takato even got close enough to the door to knock, Juri had it open for him to come in. Takato went inside and put his umbrella in the corner.

"So where are your parents and brother?" Takato asked after taking his shoes off.

"Huh? How did you know they weren't here?"

"Their shoes are gone." He said.

"Oh. Right. Could you help me change the fuse for the living room? The power knocked it out."

"I think the switch just needs to be turned back on, but I'll take a look." He said.

Takato found the fuse box and found his suspicions to be correct. He flipped the switch.

"Do the lights come on now?" He called.

"Yeah." She called back.

After shutting the fuse box he went back into the living room.

"Yep. It was just the switch." He said with a smile.

"I'm glad. Are you thirsty?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Just go ahead and have a seat.

"So where are they?" He called into the kitchen as he sat down.

"My dad and step-mom are having an anniversary dinner out tonight. Masahiko is at his friend Amano's house." She answered as she checked the fridge.

There was only enough soda for half a glass each, so she poured the glasses and was about to take it in, when she noticed a bottle of whisky on the counter. She shrugged and put some whisky one of the sodas and stirred it. She'd seen her father do it before, what could it hurt? She took a sip and didn't find it to be bad at all, so she put some in the other one as well. Now the glasses were full.

"Here." She said handing him the glass she hadn't sipped out of.

"Thanks." Takato smiled and took a drink. "You have the Weather Channel, right?"

"I think so."

"Okay, that should tell us how long this thing's supposed to last. It's not that I don't like being with you, I just don't want you to be scared."

"Thanks." She smiled and drank some of her soda, then laid her head on his shoulder.

It wasn't much later that they finished off their drinks.

"Hey, Juri. Got any more?" Takato asked, his voice slurring a bit.

"I think so. But we're out of pop." Juri answered, her voice also slurring. 

"So?"

"Okay." She said taking the glasses back in the kitchen with her.

A few moments later she came back with both glasses. They finished off that glass and leaned against the sofa laughing.

"Hey Juri." Takato said after he'd stopped laughing, his words slurring very badly.

"Hmm?" Juri asked smiling as she turned her head to look at him.

"I love you." He said then kissed her, and she kissed back.

They were all over each other and soon their clothes found their way to the floor, and things went a bit far.

Takato eventually looked at the clock.

"What does that say?" He asked pointing at the clock.

"I think it says midnight." She said kissing his neck.

"Aww, crap. I gotta get home. I was supposed to be home half an hour ago." He said struggling into his clothes. "I'll talk to you later." 

He somehow made his way home with no incidents, with the exception of puking twice before he got there. He was lucky that his parents weren't awake to see him stumbling in.

Neither of them had gotten in trouble for drinking the whisky. Shortly after he'd left, her parents came home, but Juri had already made her way up to her room.

It was three weeks later, and Takato had persuaded his parents to let him use the car to take Juri out for her birthday. He'd taken her to a movie then out for a picnic dinner under the stars.

"Did you have fun?" Takato asked Juri as they were sitting in the park looking at the stars. 

She didn't answer.

"Juri? Is something wrong?" He asked.

Juri didn't look at him, she hadn't all evening.

"What's bothering you?" He asked placing his hand on her shoulder.

She started crying. He pulled her close to him.

"Tell me what's bothering you." He said stroking her hair.

She sniffled and dried her eyes.

"Do you remember when I called you to come over a few weeks ago?"

"Somewhat. I helped you with the fuse box. Why?"

"Do you remember what else happened?"

Takato thought for a minute.

"Yeah. We had a few drinks, then...then...D-did we really...!" He asked when he remembered what had happened after that.

Juri looked down and nodded.

"I'm pregnant."

"Wh-wh-what! P-p-pregnant? A-a-are you sure?" Takato stuttered in a panic.

"Of course I'm sure!" She cried. "I was late, so took one of those home pregnancy test things the day before yesterday."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He yelled.

"I didn't know how to tell you! It took all the courage I had to tell you now!" She said as she jumped up.

Takato stood up and held her, which caused her to start crying again.

"It's okay." He said as he started crying with her.

"Takato, I was so scared you thought you'd be mad at me."

"Mad at you? How could I be? I didn't mean to yell before. I love you. I'll stay with you throughout this thing." He said kissing her. "After all, she's going to need her father around."

"She? _I_ don't even know if it's a boy or a girl, so how do _you_ supposedly know?" Juri said as she stopped crying again.

"I want our baby to be a girl, don't you?"

"Takato. You are so sweet." She smiled and laid her head on his chest, she stiffened suddenly. "What about our parents?! They're going to be furious! And school!"

"We should tell them together. It's both of our faults that this happened."

"I don't deserve you. I've heard of other girls getting pregnant and the guys ran away. You're too nice, Takato, but that's why I love you." She smiled.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

"I don't want to tell them yet!"

"We'll tell them tomorrow, okay? We'll get your parents and mine together and we'll tell them all at once."

"Okay...I'm ready to go home now."

The two of them got into the car and drove to Juri's house.

"Thank you, Takato. I'll call you early in the morning so that we can arrange it." She said and got out of the car.

The next morning they made arrangements for Juri's dad and step-mom to come to the Matsuda residence. Takato and Juri walked into the room holding hands. They looked at each other one last time before starting.

"You're probably wondering why we asked you all to come together like this. Well," Takato started. "We have something to tell you."

The four adults, seated in the living room, thought it was about some sort of engagement announcement, due to the fact that they could tell the two of them loved each other. They never expected what they were about to hear.

"We're going to have a baby." Juri finished.

"What?!" The four adults said at once.

**__**

To Be Continued...

In the next chapter:

Takato and Juri just told their parents about the baby Juri is going to have. What will happen now? How will everyone handle it? What about the other Tamers? Find the answers to these questions and more in the next chapter of _A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You_.


	4. This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

**__**

A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

Chapter 4: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

The four adults looked at each other for understanding then back at the two sixteen-year-olds who were looking a bit nervous.

"What exactly do you mean?" Satsuki, Juri's step-mom, asked.

"I'm pregnant." Juri stated.

Satsuki bit her lip and looked nervously around.

"When did this happen?!" Mei asked standing up quickly. "You two are only sixteen! You're not supposed to have kids when you're only kids yourselves! You're not even married!"

"Mom calm down!" Takato said thinking that maybe this was a bad idea to tell them now.

"How do you expect me to calm down?! My son, my only son, got a girl pregnant!" Mei yelled

Jigo like Takehiro was still trying to understand the situation, not because they were dense, but because it was a lot to try to comprehend.

"Mrs. Matsuda, we didn't do this on purpose." Juri said near tears.

"How dare you seduce my son!" Mei yelled ready to beat her.

Takato grabbed his mother.

"Mom, stop this! Now be quiet, and listen. Juri didn't seduce me. You know we love each other very much, but we never intended this to happen. But, it did happen, and I'm not going to leave Juri to face this alone. You taught me to be better than that. You always told me to 'face up to my mistakes and do what ever I could to fix them.' Well, we made a mistake. I just want to fix it, like you always taught me to." Takato said.

Mei covered her mouth and fell to her knees crying. She really had raised a good son, a very responsible boy.

"Mei, are you alright?" Takehiro asked hurrying to her side.

She nodded, and looked up at Takato with a small smile.

Jigo walked over to his daughter. Satsuki wasn't that far behind.

"Why?" He asked. It was the only thing he could even think to say.

"We didn't mean to daddy. We just got a little, um, drunk."

"What do you mean? Satsuki asked.

"Do you remember that storm about three weeks ago? Well, I was afraid and called Takato over to stay with me. I got us a drink, but there wasn't much pop left, so I put some of the whisky that was on the counter in it. I didn't know that almost two glasses could get a person drunk! I really didn't!" Juri said crying.

"Whisky is strong stuff!" Jigo said grabbing Juri by the shoulders, but said nothing more since she was still crying.

"We could end this all right now, and have her get an abortion." Satsuki said.

"That's true." Jigo said thoughtfully.

"No! That's wrong! You can't make me do it!" Juri cried out and pulled away from her father's grasp. She ran to Takato and grabbed his arm. "Don't let them make me!"

"I agree Juri. It wouldn't be right." Takato said.

"You say you're going to stay with her, correct? What are you going to do when you go to school? Where are you going to live? Babies are expensive!" Satsuki stated to Takato directly.

"We're quitting school after this year ends, which is about a month away, and I'm going to get a job. We'll manage something somehow."

"You can't raise a baby on love alone." Satsuki retorted.

"So that's why you married my dad. You didn't want to raise my half-brother on your own. I'm not stupid. I know you were pregnant with my brother when you married him."

"We were engaged though. That's different." She said nervously.

"Juri. If you don't get an abortion, then you will no longer be considered our daughter!" Jigo stated.

Takehiro and Mei looked over at Jigo in shock.

"Jigo!" Satsuki scolded.

"You're just going to forget all about her?! As though she never existed?!" Mei asked appalled at the thought of ever saying such an ultimatum to her son.

"Well, which is it Juri?" Jigo asked.

"Fine!" She yelled. A smiled crossed his face until Juri continued. "Then I have no father."

"Come Satsuki, we have no reason to stay here." He growled as he grabbed his wife's hand and practically pulled her out the door.

Once they were gone, Juri broke down crying.

"Did I do the right thing?" She sobbed into Takato's chest.

Takato didn't know what to say, so he just held her.

"You can stay here Juri. I'm sure he's just upset right now. He'll get over it." Takehiro said trying to cheer her up.

"Really?" She asked looking at him with a look of relief.

Mei stood up.

"Yes, you can stay here. In fact, I insist on it.. There are a few ground rules though: You are to go to all of your appointments, I don't want to find out that you are depriving our grandchild of anything before or after he or she is born, both of you will finish school, and you help out around here. Does that sound unreasonable to either of you?" Mei stated.

"That sounds fine to me, how 'bout you Juri?" Takato said.

"Yes, but by the time the baby comes it will be time for midterms at school. I was hoping to go back after the baby is born." Juri said.

"I guess that's alright." Mei said.

"I'd better go and check on the store." Takehiro said and left.

"Alright. I'll go start dinner." Mei called after her husband, then turned to Juri. "Juri would you help me?"

"Sure." She said.

Mei went into the kitchen.

"You have a wonderful mother, Takato." She said and turned to go into the kitchen.

"Juri."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about us getting married?" Takato asked nervously.

"Are-are you proposing?" She asked.

"I was going to last night, but finding out about you being pregnant kinda kept me from doing it. But I don't have a ring." He said nervously.

"I don't need a ring, I have you and our baby." She said crying tears of happiness and kissed him.

Takato laughed a bit.

"I guess that's a yes then?"

"Uh-huh." She said and walked into the kitchen.

Takato smiled, and went about getting the table set.

"You sure seem happy." Mei said seeing the huge smile on Juri's face.

"Takato, proposed to me. He said he was going to last night, but...well..." She said placing a hand on her stomach and smiled. "So, what is it you want me to do?"

"Go ahead and start some rice. There's some rice in a jar in the pantry." Mei said.

__

Takato. You really did turn into a good boy didn't you. She thought as she turned back to the leeks she was chopping up.

It was about a month later, when they'd finally get the chance to tell the other Tamers, well except Ryo who was away at college. Every month they'd get together in the park to talk and catch up on what was going on with everyone.

By the time Juri and Takato got there, nearly everyone else was there already.

"Hey, Takato. I need to talk to you for a minute." Hirokazu called as they came into view.

"Go on ahead." Takato said to Juri, he walked over to Hirokazu. "What is it?

"Where are you going on break?" Hirokazu asked referring to the break between school years.

"I'm staying here, why?"

"Why don't you come with Kenta and me to Okinawa to check out the ladies?" He asked doing a little dance.

"Why would I want to? I've got Juri."

"Man, she's really got you trained."

"Yeah." Kenta butted in.

"Ya gotta get away from her, man. Ya know, play the field and keep it real." Hirokazu said placing his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Why don't you understand that I want to stay _here_ with _Juri_?" Takato said pushing Hirokazu's arm off of his shoulders.

"You need to get away from her before you go and get married because she wants to." He said grabbing Takato's arm.

Takato retaliated by punching Hirokazu square in the nose.

"What the hell was that for!" Hirokazu swore as he pulled himself up from the ground.

"You're bleeding!" Kenta said.

"I love her, and we're already engaged. And for your information it was my idea. Until you can stop saying bad things about her, I don't want to talk to you ever again." Takato said and walked over to where his fiance was talking to Ruki.

"Juri, we'd better leave. Before I punch Hirokazu out again." Takato said.

"Hirokazu's your friend, why did you do it?" Juri asked.

"It's about time you grew some balls and gave him what he deserved. He needs to learn he can't try to push everyone around like he's a king and we're his servants. What did he say? Women are objects or that he's scored with more 'women' than any man alive?" Ruki asked rolling her eyes.

"It matter anymore. And as long as _he_'s coming here, I won't come anymore." Takato said and turned to walk away.

"I guess we'll be going then." Juri said.

"Good luck on your engagement." Ruki replied as they left.

"You told her we're engaged?" Takato asked as they walked back to the Matsuda residence.

"So?"

"No reason."

"I didn't get a chance to tell her I was pregnant though. So what did he say that you punched him?" She asked.

"Mostly saying that I was your puppet and I needed to go to Okinawa to find someone else before I was duped into marrying you. That's why."

"He deserved it then!" Juri huffed. "I'm sorry. It's just that he's such an immature idiot."

"Yes and no. I'd say he's immature, but as an idiot he's overly mature." Takato said.

"Are you going to apologize to him?"

"Only after he apologizes to you first!"

It was seven months later, and Juri was a week away from her due date. Hirokazu and Takato still weren't talking, and her father hadn't retracted what he said about her. Satsuki had called her once to see how she was doing, but that's all. She was so bored, and wished that the baby was born already.

She glanced at the clock, and noticed that Takato would be home soon from school soon. She somehow made her way off the couch and walked over to Mr. Matsuda, who was running the register in the store.

"Juri, what are you doing walking around? You should be resting. Are you hungry?" Takehiro asked.

"Not particularly. I'm just sick of sitting around waiting for her to be born." Juri said.

They'd found out that she was having a girl some months back, but still weren't sure on a name yet.

He looked over at his soon-to-be-daughter-in-law nervously. He liked Juri, he really did, it was just that pregnant women made him nervous. Mei could easily vouch for that.

"Why don't you go see if Mei needs your help with anything." He said as a customer came to him with several pastries

"Okay." she said and went to seek out Mrs. Matsuda.

Mei was taking some fresh made rolls out of the oven when Juri came in.

"Mrs. Matsuda, do you need me to help you with anything. I'm bored out of my mind and need something to do- ooh!" Jeri said, then bit her lip in pain.

"What's wrong? Are you going into labor?" 

"I can't be, I'm not due for another week!"

"Due dates only act as an approximation. Oh my! Your water just broke! We need to get you to the hospital!"

"What about Takato?"

"We'll pick him up on the way. Takehiro!" Mei called.

"What is it?" He asked poking his head into the room.

"Juri's gone into labor. I'm going to take her to the hospital. Takato's should be out by now so we'll pick him up on the way.

"Okay." He answered, and disappeared into the shop again. 

The two of them got into the car and drove down the street toward the school. Takato was just about to cross the street in front of the school when his mom's red car pulled up in front of him. With a quick explanation from his mother he jumped in the car and the three of them were headed for the hospital.

**__**

To Be Continued...

In the next chapter:

What did Takato and Juri end up naming their daughter? Will Jigo finally talk to Juri now that his granddaughter is born? Find the answers to these questions and more in the next chapter of _A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You_.


	5. Time Flies By

**__**

A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

Chapter 5: Time flies By

Once at the hospital Juri was scared. Scared of pain...

After being in labor for about twelve hours, Juri gave birth to a eight pound three ounce baby girl. She had big brown eyes, and a tuft of brown hair on her head.

"She's beautiful, just like her mother." Takato said giving Juri a kiss, as she held their daughter.

"But she needs a name." Interrupted a nurse who'd come into the room.

"How about Rei?" Juri asked Takato.

"Rei." Takato said out loud testing the name out. "Hmm. I like it."

The baby only yawned.

"And I think she does too. Her name is Rei."

It was a few months later that Juri and Takato were married at a private ceremony, involving Takato's parents, Juri's step-mother, Satsuki, her brother, Masahiko and other relatives. Gigo had refused to come or even see his granddaughter. It was after the ceremony that Takato and Juri were surprised with their wedding gift.

"We all went in on your wedding gift. Come with us!" Mei said happily as she held Rei.

"Okay." Takato said looking at Juri, who took her daughter.

They were led to down the street to a building.

"It's number 17 on floor four." Said Satsuki as she handed Takato a set of keys.

The newlyweds looked at each other curiously, then proceeded to the appointed place. Takato unlocked the door and entered. Inside was an average apartment, full of furniture.

"A wedding party?" Juri asked when the parents and her brother came in.

"Something like that. This apartment and everything in it is yours." Takehiro said with a smile.

"And we paid for the first six months' rent." Mei said.

"Do you like it?" Masahiko asked his sister.

"Yes." Juri answered with a whisper.

"We can't accept this." Takato said. "This is too generous."

"Well it's yours. We've already moved all your stuff in while you were getting ready this morning." Satsuki said.

"Thanks." Takato smiled.

Time had passed and Takato and Juri adapted to being parents. Rei was now two years old and running all over the apartment.

"Takato would you run to the store and get some potatoes for dinner and this stuff on the list?" Juri asked drying her hands on a towel as she entered the living room where he was playing with Rei.

Takato looked up from the stuffed blocks the two of them were playing with. Juri smiled.

"Sure. Do you wanna come with daddy to the store, Rei?" Takato asked his little girl, who nodded happily.

"You don't have to take her if you don't want to." Juri said as Takato started putting Rei's shoes on for her.

"But I want to. Besides we have to pick something pretty out for mommy's birthday next month don't we?" 

Takato said putting Rei's coat on her.

"Pretty! Pretty!" She sang.

"Alright. Just don't take a long time. I need those potatoes." Juri laughed and handed Takato a list.

"Okay. Come on Rei-Rei." Takato said grabbing the little girl, which resulted in a chorus of giggles.

At the store Takato was trying to find an item on the list from a wall of groceries. While he was busy someone else entered the aisle. The man, who'd just started down the aisle, pulled an item from the shelf and then turned and looked at the other end of the aisle, which was where Takato and Rei were. The man walked toward the cart and Takato.

A squeal escaped the two-year-old's mouth as the man smiled and waved at her. Takato looked over at his daughter.

"Hi." She said and waved back as only a child would.

"What is it?" He asked the little girl who had lost interest and reached toward the wall of groceries. Takato then looked in the opposite direction toward the man.

"I thought it was you, Takato." The man said.

"Ryo! I thought you were in college quite a distance from here." Takato smiled.

"Spring break. So who's the cutie?" Ryo said walking closer to the cart.

"Her name's Rei. Isn't she the cutest two-year-old you've ever seen?" Takato said with a smile as he unbuckled Rei from the cart and lifted her into his arms.

"Beautiful. Who's is she? A cousin's?"

"No. She's mine, and Juri's." Takato said untangling her hand from his hair.

Ryo shifted his weight and blinked in surprise.

"I wasn't expecting _that._" Ryo said with a bit of a laugh. "So I guess you and Juri would be too busy to spend some time just sitting around and talking with some old friends then."

"Well I guess I could talk Juri into having my mom watch her-"

"Why not bring her along? I don't see how much trouble one little girl can get into. We were thinking Wednesday afternoon."

"We?"

"Me and Ruki, and the rest of our old gang."

"Well it has been about three years since we've last seen them." Takato said. "Sure, why not."

"Great! Wednesday night, four o'clock at Guilmon's Hutch." Ryo said using their term for the old building in the park where Guilmon used to live."

"Sure. We'll see you then." Takato said as Ryo walked away.

Takato was still watching Ryo walk away when Rei, who'd apparently grabbed something from off the shelf, dropped what she had in her hand and it hit Takato's foot.

"That's what I was looking for. Good job, Rei-Rei." Takato said looking down at the jar.

He placed Rei back in the cart and grabbed the jar from the floor.

"Good Rei! Good Rei!" She echoed.

Takato laughed a little and pushed the cart down the aisle to get the potatoes.

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Takato had talked Juri into coming. As they walked toward the appointed place they could hear voices.

"Hey Takato! Juri!" Ryo called from the top of the stairs.

"Hey Ryo." Takato said hauling the stroller as Juri carried Rei.

"Sorry we're late. Rei decided to make it difficult on us" Juri apologized.

"It's alright. Need a hand Takato?" Ryo asked

"No. I've got it. Thanks anyways." Takato said finally reaching the top of the steps and putting the stroller down.

"Aww! Look at the baby! What's her name?" Fifteen-year-old Shiuchon cooed seeing Rei.

"It's Rei."

Takato looked around and noticed everyone staring back at them. Well, everyone except Shiuchon who was playing with Rei.

"This is the first time we've attempted to get together in almost two years." Jenrya said.

"What? You guys stopped getting together?" Takato said in disbelief.

"Yeah. Shortly after you and Juri stopped coming, everyone stopped coming." Ruki said walking forward.

"Why _did_ you guys stop coming?" Shiuchon asked.

"Rei was one reason, and something Hirokazu said was the other, but I don't remember what it was anymore." Takato said scratching his head to recall what it was.

"She's yours?! I thought you guys were just babysitting or something." Hirokazu said in shock.

"That surprised me too a couple days ago too." Ryo laughed. 

They talked through the early evening about things that had been happening and whatever else was going on in their lives currently.

Everyone was getting ready to go home when Kenta spoke up.

"We should do this more often." He said.

"Classes start up again on Monday, and Ruki and I will have to head back before then. Hey! Ruki's birthday is on Friday. Why don't we get together again then." Ryo said with a smile.

"That would be great!" Juri said.

So it was that on Friday they got together and celebrated Ruki's birthday, which turned out to be a lot like Wednesday. On Saturday they bid Ryo and Ruki a good journey as they left to head back to college.

It was the night after Ruki and Ryo had left town for college again. Juri was lying in bed with her eyes closed as Takato was getting ready for bed himself.

"Juri." Takato said sitting down on the bed.

"What is it?" Juri asked sitting up.

"Have you ever regretted defying your father when he was pressuring you to get an abortion."

"No. Not for a second. Why? Do you wish I did?"

"It's not that. I love Rei, and you of course. I'm just wondering if you regret not speaking to him since he found out."

"I've tried talking to him several times. In fact, my step-mom tried to get him to talk to me, but every time he would hear my voice over the phone he'd hang up. And every time I went over there I'd see him peeking out the window and then refusing to answer the door. I gave up trying just before Rei was born."

"I think you should try again."

"No. If he doesn't want to ever see his own granddaughter that's his problem, not mine."

"Juri! I've never heard you speak that way about anyone before!" Takato said in shock.

"Well how else am I supposed to talk about him? He disowned me, remember?" Juri said getting louder with each word. "I'm sorry. There's no reason I should have. I guess I could always _try _talking to him again."

"It's okay. We all get angry some times. Good night, Juri".

"Good night Takato." Juri said turning off the lamp by the bedside.

It wasn't until a fateful day at the park about two years later that Juri finally got the chance to talk to her father. It was an overcast day and had been threatening to rain all day with a misty sprinkle. It was late afternoon when the rain burst from the swollen gray clouds with little warning. Juri had brought four-year-old Rei there maybe twenty minutes before it started pouring.

Juri sat down on a nearby bench and was talking to another mother while Rei played in the sand of the play area with another little girl making a castle. It was just before the rain started that the two girls had given up on the castle and, along with a little boy who joined them, started chasing each other around. 

It was then that the rain started pouring. The rain was so heavy that it was hard to see much with the eye-stinging rain. Juri ran to a nearby wall-less covered area, assuming Rei would as well. But what Juri didn't know was that only seconds before the rain had started Rei had gone to the restroom which was only twenty feet away from where she was, but barely visible through the rain.

Rei had just walked out of the girls' restroom when it started. She stood under the overhang watching the rain fall when someone else came out of the guy's restroom.

"Wow! It really is pouring. Oh! Hi there. Where's your mother?" The man asked her as he crouched down to her eyelevel.

Rei grabbed the hem of her skirt and looked down as she answered.

"I don't know." She said shyly

"What's your name? Mine is Gigo." He said.

"Rei." She said being a bit less shy, "I'm this many." She said holding up four fingers.

"Wow! That's a lot." He said with a smile.

"I'm going to have a little brother soon." She said with a laugh and a smile.

"Really?" He said.

It was at about that moment that the rain became more gentle and slowed.

"Rei! Oh, there you are!" Juri called running to restrooms after seeing her talking to a man there when the rain slowed.

"Juri?" He asked in surprise and stood up.

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

"I felt like taking a nice long walk in the park."

"Can I go play now, mommy?" Rei asked tugging on her mom's pants

"No. We'll be going home shortly." Juri said.

"So she's--"

"Yes. Your granddaughter."

"I'm sorry I was shutting you out for so long." Gigo apologized. "She mentioned that she's going to have a little brother."

"Yes, but not for four and a half more months."

"That's wonderful."

"Thanks dad. Would you like to have dinner at our house tonight? Or if that doesn't work, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow would be lovely."

Juri smiled.

"Come now, Rei. Daddy's probably got dinner ready at home. Say good bye to your grandpa Katou."

"Bye, bye, grampa Katou." Rei said.

"Good girl. Bye dad. Come on over around between five and six tomorrow. Tell Satsuki and Masahiko to come too."

"I will. See you later, Juri."

With that they parted ways until the next day. About four months later Juri gave birth to a son, just in time for Christmas. Takato and Juri named him Kyogou, or Kyo for short. 

**__**

The End

That's the end everyone! I'm sorry about the lateness of putting this chapter up. I was bogged down with work and studying for semester finals in college...plus a little bit of laziness. The next installment of this series will be up soon. It revolves around Ryo and Rika about approximately the same timeframe.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story. And for those of you who've been reading and not reviewing this whole time, then review! How am I supposed to know if you guys like it if you don't review. 


End file.
